1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a transportation apparatus having an induced freezing rail system, which is a rail-based transportation apparatus such as conventional trains or light rail transit; and, more particularly, to a transportation apparatus having an induced freezing rail system, which uses a radio wave to induce freezing of rails and thereby reduce friction between the transportation apparatus and the rails so that long-distance transportation at high acceleration is possible using a small amount of energy, thereby improving transportation efficiency.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, rail-based transportation apparatuses (e.g. trains) have been widely used to transport a large amount of freight or people safely to a destination over a long distance. Trains, the typical rail transportation apparatuses, are regarded as the most efficient means because of the high ratio of fuel to freight weight compared with road transportation means. Although each railroad car of a train may seem inefficient because it is heavier than any road car, it is when a large number of railroad cars are connected to transport freight or passengers that the advantage of railroad transportation, i.e. long-distance large-scale transportation, becomes noticeable.
The reason rail-based trains have better fuel efficiency is that, however heavy they may be, they move on iron rails, which are hard, flat, and straight, distributing the overall friction force consumption. Road cars, contrary to trains, move on curved roads with protrusions, and the friction force consumption increases despite the advantage of wheels. However, even trains have inefficiency in that their large weight and severe friction loss between wheels and rails result in energy consumption and noise.
In an attempt to solve this problem, magnetic levitation trains based on superconductor have been developed. Magnetic levitation trains have less noise and vibration, and can be accelerated easily. However, it is difficult to implement superconductor at room temperature, and magnetic levitation trains simply based on electromagnetic force requires a large amount of current to obtain levitation. Considering the ever-increasing energy cost, there is a need for a new type of apparatus and means for solving the above-mentioned problem.